Travel advisors can more easily book large groups for European train travel, something that was only previously available to high-volume users, thanks to a new tool from Rail Europe.
Called RailGroupEasy, the online tool opens group bookings beyond the select high-volume users that have dominated Rail Europe’s group business, such as tour operators Collette, Gate 1 and EF World Journeys.
Rail Europe COO Valentina Cesani said most of the requests to open up group bookings come from the U.S. and to a lesser degree Australia. The advantage of the tool to smaller agencies, she said, is that RailGroupEasy simplifies the process so that they can directly translate client requests into the Rail Europe system.
“It makes sure [advisors] don’t have any middlemen, delayed response times or have some part of the request misunderstood,” she said. “The more steps, the greater the chances something might be misunderstood or lost.”
The tool could help alleviate some of the pain points advisors come across when booking rail in Europe.
Whether in small numbers or large groups, booking rail travel is a challenge for most advisors, said Heidi Podjavorsek, a sales and marketing vice president at Signature Travel Network in charge of land and specialty supplier partnerships.
One of the big obstacles for booking rail is that each European country has traditionally operated its own national rail system. At least 44 countries are involved, from Albania to the U.K., each with its own processes. Rail Europe is the largest of the companies that package rail from all of the countries, attempting to simplify the purchasing process.
“Advisors generally struggle with rail bookings. That’s why we ask tour operators to offer rail for them so that it’s a more seamless experience,” Podjavorsek said. “Booking it a la carte works for some but not everyone. We don’t have any bookers that book thousands of dollars in rail. It’s rather the occasional rail booking.”
But that may be because, until now, there hasn’t been a mechanism for small and midsize agencies to book groups.
RailGroupEasy is designed for groups of 25 passengers or more. In addition to booking fares, advisors can add ancillary services such as meals, door-to-door luggage transport or station services such as arrival or departure assistance.
To help agents learn the ropes, Rail Europe has put training material on its agent portal and plans to launch a premium support line in 2025.
“We’re trying to ensure that not just the big players but the medium and small player get more support, and they get to choose what level of support they’re going to get when they book,” Cesani said.
Rail Europe pays commissions on groups booked by large contract accounts, but not on RailGroupEasy, Cesani said. It provides net rates, which agents are free to package and mark up.
Cesani admits rail can be difficult. “Group reservations take a lot of effort, a lot of time, the logistics are quite complicated,” she said.
During the pandemic, Rail Europe limited groups to key accounts and other big buyers. This year, she said, “We decided it was the right time to reopen groups to a wider market.”
